LOCATION ASHONE NV

Established Series
Rev. SES-TM-JVC-JBF
12/2019

ASHONE SERIES

The Ashone series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from andesitic tuff and similar volcanic rocks. Ashone soils are on plateaus, mountains, and hills. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 330 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Vitritorrandic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Ashone very gravelly ashy fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin and medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and vesicular pores; 50 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 20 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 23 cm thick)

Bt1--20 to 30 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong fine and medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; common faint and few distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

Bt2--30 to 56 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common faint and few distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual smooth boundary. (23 to 76 cm thick)

Cr--56 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) soft, weathered andesitic tuff; high excavation difficulty; about 10 percent fine gravel and 30 percent medium gravel in the rock matrix; few very fine and fine roots in pockets in the bedrock; many thin silica coats over bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about one mile west of Vya; approximately 3,200 feet south and 2,800 feet east of the projected northwest corner of section 5, T. 42 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Fortynine Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 35 minutes 19 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 52 minutes 37 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.5886111 latitude, -119.8769444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring; dry from July through October; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 20 to 40 cm; includes the Bt1 horizon.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are vitric tuffs.
Volcanic glass content: 35 to 90 percent glass in the very fine sand and fine sand fractions.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 22 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent gravel. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as tuff.

A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 2 or 3 moist. A dry value of 6 is only in the thin A1 horizon and the upper 18 cm when mixed has a dry value of 5.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.

Bt horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent gravel in any individual horizon; 15 to 30 percent gravel when mixed.
Structure: Angular blocky or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Hard or very hard dry, very friable to firm moist.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bidwell, Coppersmith, Ponyspring, and Simpson series.

Bidwell, Coppersmith, Ponyspring, and Simpson soils are very deep.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ashone soils are on plateaus, mountains, and hills. They occur on south-facing shoulder and backslope positions. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from andesitic tuff and similar pyroclastic volcanic rocks. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 1,770 to 1,955 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 360 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 8 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ashdos and Bearbutte soils. Ashdos soils are ashy, moderately deep to paralithic contacts, and have a frigid temperature regime. Bearbutte soils are coarse-loamy, deep to paralithic contacts, have argillic horizons and thick mollic epipedons, and have a frigid temperature regime.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Ashone soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is dominantly low sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Thurber's needlegrass, Idaho fescue, and antelope bitterbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 3,700 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 23.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County (North Part), Nevada, 1995.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 30 cm (A1, A2, and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon- The zone from 20 to 56 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 56 cm to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section and substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 20 to 56 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.